Liquid coating applicators are typically used to apply and spread liquid coatings such as paints, varnishes, stains and liquid sealants to different surfaces such as walls, ceilings, and floors. Floors, such as decks and driveways, are coated using a relatively large liquid applicator. Liquid applicators used to apply coatings to floors, decks and driveways comprise either an elongate roller or a flat pad. Roller applicators typically comprise an elongate, cylindrical roller having a covering of liquid absorbing cloth or nap and mounted to the end of an elongate handle or pole. As the roller is pushed across the floor, deck or driveway, the roller rolls and dispenses the coating across the surface. Because the roller rolls along the surface, the roller is easy to push with very little friction. However, due to its circular shape and practical size limitations, the roller maintains contact with the surface along only a single line having a severely limited surface area. As a result, the roller applicator does not consistently spread the coating across the surface.
Flat pad applicators typically comprise an elongate, generally rectangular flat foam or sponge pad mounted to the end of an elongate handle or pole. In contrast to roller applicators, flat pad applicators have a large surface area adapted to contact the surface being coated. Unfortunately, to maintain the large surface area of the flat pad applicator in contact with the surface being coated requires that the flat pad be perfectly parallel with the floor, deck or driveway. During the back and forth sweeping motion of the applicator, it is extremely difficult to maintain the flat pad perfectly parallel with the surface being coated. The difficulty of maintaining the flat pad perfectly parallel with the floor, deck or driveway is further increased because conventional flat pad applicators are not designed to accommodate users having different heights. It has been found that extremely tall or extremely short users tend to elevate either the front or the rear of the flat pad relative to the floor, deck or driveway. If the flat pad is not maintained perfectly parallel with the floor, deck or driveway, the flat pad contacts the surface being coated along only a single line of contact. Consequently, despite having a large surface area adapted to contact the surface being coated, flat pad applicators rarely achieve greater surface contact than roller applicators. Thus, neither roller applicators nor flat pad applicators consistently spread coating across surfaces.
Thus, there is a continuing need for a liquid coating applicator that contacts the floor, deck or driveway with a relatively large surface area and that is easily maintained in contact with the floor, deck or driveway during to and fro movement of the applicator across the floor, deck or driveway, regardless of the user's stature. There is also a continuing need for a relatively large liquid coating applicator which is easily moved across a floor, deck or driveway with minimal frictional resistance.